According to the Board of Elections, Murphy received 46.37 percent (1,833 ) of the 3,953 total votes, beating out Ralph Clark (36.12 percent, 1,428 votes) and John Allen Marks Jr. (17.51 percent, 692 votes) Tuesday night.

Murphy will be serving his second term as Kinston's mayor. He had originally stated that he wasn't going to run for re-election. But he said he changed his mind after talking with his family and supporters.

When Murphy was elected for his first term as Kinston's mayor in 2009, he became the city's youngest mayor in history. He is a graduate of Kinston High School.